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TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has launched a media offensive to win back foundering voter support, which has slid below the key 30 percent level ahead of an upper house election this month.
After a television appearance on Thursday, Abe is tackling two more TV shows and a radio programme on Friday in an attempt to woo voters and soothe anger over the government's bungling of millions of pension records - the most contentious issue in the July 29 election.
Abe said on Thursday that his ruling coalition faced a tough fight in the election, but refused to consider defeat before the battle had even begun.
His woes were exacerbated last weekend, when his defence minister made remarks that appeared to condone the 1945 atomic bombings of two Japanese cities, sparking public outrage.
Abe refused to sack him but the minister quit on Tuesday -- the second resignation from the nine-month-old cabinet, and less than two months after the scandal-tainted farm minister hanged himself.
A public opinion survey published on Thursday by the Yomiuri Shimbun showed that only 32 percent of voters supported the Abe cabinet, down 2.4 percent from last week's poll.
The paper said the defence minister's resignation, coupled with the pension fiasco - which could mean that some retirees may be short-changed - had dented Abe's support.
Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the New Komeito party, need to win a total of 64 of the 121 seats up for grabs to keep their majority in the 242-seat upper chamber.
New Komeito is aiming to get 13 seats.
A loss in the upper house would not eject the ruling camp from government, since it retains a huge majority in the more powerful lower chamber.
But a big loss would mean the ruling bloc could not enact legislation, which must be approved by both houses of parliament, threatening political paralysis that could trigger calls for Abe to quit or even call a snap lower house election.
No general election needs be held until 2009.
- REUTERS
